spaces in between
by cosipotente
Summary: Jean thinks about him while Marco writhes beneath him, thinks about Armin being somewhere between them.


"Keep staring," Marco advises Jean, taping him on his backside with the book in his hand as he passes by. "You haven't bored holes in the back of his skull yet."

Jean straightens up from where he had been peering through the empty spaces on the bookshelf before him. His face heats up and he looks away from the blond he had indeed been staring at to swat at Marco. 

**. . . . . .**

Jean comes home with an aching back and the box of assorted donuts Marco asked him to bring home after he finished work. He slides his shoes off, sighing in relief and flexing his toes. He pushes his shoes over into their usual spot beside Marco's, but there's a pair of black boots Jean vaguely recognizes already there.

He makes his way silently towards the living room, peering curiously around the corner. Marco and the blond boy from the library Jean may, or may not, have crush on are bent over the top of the kotatsu, shoulder-to-shoulder, studying. Jean's heart beats wildly in his chest as he debates about making his presence known.

Marco lifts his head up from the book he was bent over, as if he knew Jean would be there, and offers Jean a cheerful smile.

"Welcome home. How was work?"

Jean finds his voice after a moment of long silence, during which the blond haired boy lifted his head as well. He turned large blue eyes up at Jean, as if he too were waiting to know how work at the campus library had gone.

"It was boring, as usual."

Marco laughed, and then hitched a thumb in their guest's direction. "This is Armin; I'm tutoring him."

Armin gave Jean a polite smile. "Hello."

Jean handed him the donuts awkwardly, saying: "I'm donuts—I mean Jean. I'm Jean."

The slip up brings a round of soft laughter from both Armin and Marco, and Jean is okay with that.

Hours later, in the darkness of their room, Marco arches into Jean's touch, curling muscular legs around his waist. A moan issues from between them, spilling out into the quiet.

"He's cute, isn't he?" Marco asks, breath huffing into Jean's ear.

Jean can only nod as he pushes deeper into the heat of Marco's body. It's true; Armin is cute. Jean thinks about him while Marco writhes beneath him, thinks about Armin being somewhere between them. 

**. . . . .**

Armin becomes a permanent fixture in their flat three days a week. The tutoring sessions turn into hang out sessions, and Jean likes it. He can tell by the way Marco sometimes runs his eyes over Armin, taking his time observing each feature, that he likes it too. 

**. . . . .**

Every other Friday is Jean's day off from work, but he still finds himself in the library. He peruses the shelves aimlessly, picking out books at random and reading a few chapters before re-shelving them. When he gets bored of that, Jean forces himself to study; he might be in the upper percentile of his class, as his pride won't allow him to settle for mediocre grades.

He takes a place in the back corner by one of the tall window, the late autumn sun slanting through the panes. Jean shuts the world out as he studies charts and jots down notes.

"Hello." An alto voice says over Jean's shoulder. It's a voice that sets loose thousands of butterflies in his stomach.

Armin takes the empty in front of Jean, smiling pleasantly.

Jean is less nervous around the blond today, and he doles out a greeting of his own while keeping his eyes on his study materials. Armin drums his fingers softly against the table before tentatively reaching over and tapping his finger against the back of Jean's hand.

"Can I ask you a question?" He inquires.

Jean nods for him to continue.

"Marco said he would tutor me today. We were supposed to meet in the quad but he didn't show up. Did something happen?"

Jean went over Marco's schedule in his head, thinking about what all the other had to do today. "He's working now and won't be off until late this evening."

"Oh." Armin deflates, sitting back in his chair.

Jean seizes the opportunity presented before him. "Maybe I can help?"

Marco is genius.

"I love this thing." Armin says, laying his head on the kotatsu's top, tucking his legs under the blanket. Jean laughs at him.

"That's the real reason why you took my offer, isn't it?"

"You caught me." There's a total lack of shame there that Jean appreciates.

He sets Marco's books beside Armin's head and settles next to him, sliding his own legs beneath the warm blankets. The kotatsu was Marco's little contribution to their flat, something he thrifted from a secondhand shop three years ago.

Jean flips through one of the books, stopping at the last tab Marco placed that had Armin's name on it. "This is what you guys worked on last time, right?" He shakes the book for emphasis.

Armin doesn't answer. His head is turned away from Jean so he can't tell if the blond is sleeping or not, but takes Armin's silence to mean he is. It's cute and Jean slips his phone out of his pocket, snapping a picture to send to Marco later.

"I see you sometimes," Armin says, voice soft and sleepy sounding. It still manages to scare the piss out of Jean, though. "You watch me when I'm in the library. Marco too, when he comes to study. I thought it was weird."

"And now?" Jean manages to get past the tightness in his throat.

Armin lifts his head, staring at Jean with eyes full of clarity and intent. "It's still weird, but I like it. I like you."

The way he says the last part sets Jean on edge; there is a 'but' in his confession.

"I like Marco, too, but I don't want to come between you two."

Jean feels himself smirk before he can think to control his expression. He slides his hand toward Armin's, running a finger along the back of one of his. Armin links them together.

"You don't have to worry." Jean says, smiling. "If you're comfortable with it, we'd you like you to come between us." 

**. . . . .**

Jean learns the curves of Armin's body, learns he likes Armin best pressed between his own body and Marco's. He learns Armin is passionate about physics and is worried about humanity. Jean learns he hates Armin's friend Eren more than anything. He learns the best moments are the ones where Marco and Armin sleep cuddled up to one another, and the moments when Jean is swamped with class work and Armin quietly supplies him with hot coffee while Marco rubs his shoulders are equally perfect.

Jean appreciates and loves them both, Armin and Marco, in equal measure.


End file.
